8/02/2010 @ 6:00AM

How Gatorade Brings Athletes Closer To Fans

Late last year live video events broadcast over the Internet started putting up TV-like viewership numbers: 10 million for a U2 concert, 3 million for the red carpet premiere of a Twilight sequel, and more than 250,000 for a screening of a film from hip hop mogul 50 Cent.

Not surprisingly, it wasn’t long before big brands started to take notice. But rather than simply inject advertising into live video the way one might with a television show, an increasing number of advertisers have started using the medium, using platforms like Ustream, Livestream and Justin.tv to produce compelling content and engage consumers.

One brand leading the charge is Gatorade, which is known for its iconic ads featuring some of the world’s largest sports stars. Live video has presented an opportunity to bring those athletes closer to fans than most of them have likely ever been, while at the same time reinforcing some of the brand’s core marketing messages.

When Gatorade debuted its new “G Series” line of drinks at the Super Bowl back in February, it used live video sessions of NFL stars doing performance testing, that is, drinking the new Gatorade products before, during and after their workouts (the theme of the new product and ongoing marketing campaign).

During those sessions (which have also played prominently in Gatorade TV commercials), fans could submit questions via Twitter and Facebook, which are baked into Ustream’s application. This is how many live video sessions go viral; as fans chat it up with their favorite stars, their chat messages are broadcast back to social networks, which in turn alert fans’ friends of the ongoing event. “The great thing about live video is that it’s low cost, yet high engagement,” said Gatorade spokeswoman Jennifer Schmit.

Recently, Gatorade saw that effect in full force when NBA star Dwight Howard made an appearance on the company’s Ustream page. “Over the course of 20 minutes, we received more than 560 fan questions for Dwight (or an average of one question every two seconds),” Schmit said.

Of course, you might think that success is a lot easier to achieve when a superstar athlete shows up, but Gatorade has found wins with far lower profile events that speak to its audience. For example, the company often has scientists from its Gatorade Sports Science Institute answer questions about nutrition and fitness. Furthermore, Schmit says one of Gatorade’s biggest successes so far in the realm of live video has been its annual awards luncheon for high school athletes, where the company “saw unprecedented viewership that was almost 50% higher than any of our previous streams.”

Clearly, access to unique experiences not easily available in-person is what is making live video work at Gatorade as well as other major consumer brands. High-end fashion designer Burberry recently live streamed a men’s fashion show on its website, allowing users to actually click items onscreen, add them to a shopping cart-like application, and later purchase them if they so chose. (Jumping back to Ustream, the company has also seen brands like Marshall’s, Coors Light, Pacific Sunwear and Elextrolux use its platform for live video events.)

Engagement will only increase with other trends emerging in the broader tech world. With live video moving from the desktop to mobile (Ustream and its competitors all offer apps on most major platforms) and Internet-connected televisions, expect the numbers to continue to swing upwards, creating further opportunity for brands to become creators of content and experiences that their customers will enthusiastically share with others.

Adam Ostrow is editor in chief at Mashable, a widely read blog that covers the latest technologies, trends and people that are driving the current evolution of the Web.